Prosecution Seeks Jail for Assi Dayan

Actor and film director Assi Dayan was convicted yesterday in the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court for assaulting and threatening to kill his partner.

Although Dayan agreed to a plea bargain, the prosecution said it would ask for a prison sentence. However, the prosecution did agree to have a probation officer prepare a report for the court on the question of Dayan's sentencing and agreed to review its position afterwards.

Dayan, the son of Moshe Dayan and star of the hit Israel TV series "Betipul" ("In Treatment"), was originally charged with assault and battery and threatening his partner, who was in advanced stages of pregnancy at the time. He was accused of waving a kitchen knife in her face and chasing her, threatening to kill her and wounding her with the knife. The battery charge, as well as another charge related to an earlier assault, at an airport in Italy, were removed from the final plea bargain agreement.

The woman was present in court. She said she is going abroad for a long vacation and wants to receive psychiatric help.

Outside the court, Dayan said he had made up with his partner: "Leave us alone, we have not seen each other for four months or so," he said. "We made up a long time ago. This is an event that every second couple in the country could face ... there are disagreements. Deal with the big Sudoku - Dudu Topaz - he is the Sudoku. I'm nothing compared to him."

Dayan's attorney, Itai Ben Nun, of the public defender's office, said: "The fact that he is famous works against him. If he were just an unknown citizen, it is doubtful whether [the prosecution] would have asked for him to be held until the end of the trial, and it is doubtful the prosecution would have asked for prison time." He said Dayan accepted the verdict and would be using the time for rehabilitation.

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